Metro Approves Plan to Replace Deanwood Metro Parking Lot with Mixed-Use Development

• January 25th 2018

by Nena Perry-Brown

Between explorations into offloading properties for commercial development and an agreement to redevelop the parking lot at College Park Metro station, WMATA is starting off the year with several repositionings. Now, a long-rumored redevelopment at the Metro station in Deanwood may be closer to becoming a reality.

WMATA has elected to move forward with eliminating the Park and Ride surface lot at Deanwood Metro station (map) to make way for a mixed-use development. The project would replace the 1.6-acre surface lot at the station, whose 194 spaces are vastly underutilized (roughly 36 percent of the spaces were used during the first half of the fiscal year).

In 2013, Metro conducted a study as to what kind of development would best suit the location, landing on a concept for a Metro garage with 150 spaces and a building with 138 apartments and 10,000 square feet of retail. The community has responded positively to the idea and has stated priorities to see senior and/or mixed-income housing, additional homeownership opportunities and street-activating commercial space along Minnesota Avenue.

The Deanwood station has the third-lowest ridership in the system, with roughly 1,200 riders each weekday; the redevelopment is anticipated to add 129 daily riders to the station. A follow-up survey last year shows that the majority of riders who park at the station are residents of Prince George's County who, if the lot was removed, would park at Minnesota Avenue station or a station in Maryland.

The first redevelopment scenario would deliver 3-4 stories totaling 138 residential units above 10,000 square feet of retail. A four-story above-grade parking garage would contain 150 replacement Park and Ride spaces and 150 spaces for residential and commercial use. The second redevelopment scenario, which Metro staff recommends, would deliver 160 apartments above 10,000 square feet of retail, but there wouldn't be a parking component.

Metro representatives have presented plans to ANC 7D, and a public hearing on removing the parking lot is expected to be held in March, making way for a joint development solicitation in April and selection of a developer in July. If the joint development agreement is executed by April 2019, the planned-unit development process would begin that November, putting final delivery roughly in 2024.

This article originally published at https://dc.urbanturf.com/articles/blog/wmata-board-approves-moving-forward-to-replace-deanwood-metro-parking-lot-w/13493.